End o' week musings

And what a week it was...

You recall that Daryl (Fret House Covina's House of Rock instructor) and I were heading off to DragonForce Friday night at House of Blues in Downtown Disney in Anaheim. Well, there was some sort of SNAFU and we ended up sans tickets. Not to ruin an evening, we ended up at the ESPN restaurant. The hostess asked us if we wanted a table or recliners and we did a doubletake-- recliners? Really??

We couldn't resist sitting back in front of the big screen (wall size) television and enjoying a nice meal. The overstuffed recliners featured built in cup holders and a moveable tray. It felt almost sinful! The food was good and we giggled a lot between bites over the indulgence of it all.... And yeah, I'd go back in a heatbeat!

Last Saturday I woke up feeling yucky. I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but I felt headachy and had a icky tummy, so I called my band director and told him I would be staying home rather than going to the Renaissance Faire. I ended up sleeping most of the day and still was able to sleep through the night. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought!

I woke up almost perky and had a good day at the Faire on Sunday. I took things a little easy, but felt fine. My friend and fellow journalist Dean Lee ( http://www.pasadenan.com/ ) showed up at one of my performances and hung out with me during my break between sets. It was his first time at the Ren Faire and he seemed to be enjoying it. He did a short segment on his day on his cable and web show, "Media Mashup," this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAoMCCHSSGI&feature=youtu.be

Monday morning I went to Pasadena to interview Penny Scott-Fox, who runs a number of classes for canines. My friend Joanne's dog, Colonel (whose photo I've shared here previously), is taking her Nose Work class, which employs the concepts of sniffing for substances and turns it into a sport. The dogs - and humans - really enjoy it.

Scott-Fox's dog, Turner, is one of the top pups in the country at Nose Work and I had the pleasure of meeting her during my visit. She greeted me with a wagging tail and lots of kisses-- Turner obviously knows how to spot a dog fan!

On Tuesday, Vernor (www.insidesocal.com/vernorsticket ) and I went to see "Dark Shadows." I laughed so much, I thought I was going to disturb the other patrons, but they were laughing too. It was a fun flick- I particularly enjoyed the attention to detail, so much so that I think I could watch the film again and catch more things! But for the critic's opinion, visit Vernor's blog as noted above.

Wednesday was a day of rest and adventure. I slept in and then drove out to San Diego, where I was to meet Gary, the writer of http://2or3lines.blogspot.com/ and a new columnist for http://www.dabelly.com/ , for dinner. I decided to check out Seaport Village-- yeah, I know a touristy spot, but somewhere to hang out. It wasn't so bad... I had some nice clam chowder and then walked along the shore to a park where I watched people flying kites and boats going by. I meandered through the shops and listened to a Spanish-style guitarist and even found a nice spot to sit and read for a while.

Gary was here from the East Coast for a convention and had to go do his social stuff, but finally he was free. We hadn't met in person before, so it was going to be a nice change to chat about music and life face to face. We went to the Hard Rock Hotel and ended up in Nobu (which translated should mean something like "sushi paradise"), where we enjoyed plates of sashimi and sushi and even a warm dish washed down with Asahi. The food was good, but the conversation was better!

Last night I went to Carin's house. We went out to dinner and then back for a soak in the hot tub with cigars. Carin is working on a script for a musical, which she let me read. It's pretty funny and nice and short so you could watch it without an intermission and leave happy. I hope she can get someone to put it on-- if she does, I'll let you know.

This weekend raps up the Renaissance Faire ( http://www.renfair.com/ ), so if you're feeling medieval, you've got two days to get your fill. I'll be there dancing and maybe shopping a little too.

In rotation this week: Tom Petty, Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell, Sabaton and Kirk Whalum.

Photos we got 'em: A couple of pet pics that made me smile and a couple of photos of me and Ad Hoc Consort performing at the Ren Faire courtesy of Dean Lee.

Thought o' the week: Make your own sunshine. As you read, I could have had some bad times this week, but instead they turned into happy adventures. With just a little ingenuity and a good attitude you can create joy from what could be a miserable or boring time. Most of the time it is how you choose to see and react to the world around you.

I have one friend that no matter how wonderful the experience, he can find something wrong with it and is easily disappointed with the outing. It's as if he looks for the problem. It's easy to fall into the woe-is-me Eeyore trap. But it's just as easy to look at the rosier Pooh side of things. A wrong turn could lead to a cool place you wouldn't have known about otherwise, just as the concert mixup led to dinner in recliner chairs! You don't have to be miserable or angry, heck, you really should be more selective and save those feelings for something big... Make your own sunsine and

Keep on rockin'

Mickie